Moisture readings in cellars and crawl spaces after water events, before floors and walls are closed back up.
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Crawl space and cellar moisture work reads the floor, the joists, the wall and the air in a below-grade space after water has entered. In Schenectady, a cellar that held water from a flood or a supply-line leak is read with meters before it is closed back up. Schenectady Water Damage Restoration serves Schenectady County and dispatches a crew as fast as one is available.
A cellar or a crawl space is the part of the house closest to the ground, and it is the part water reaches first. Its floor is concrete or packed earth, its walls are masonry or block, and its framing sits low, where air moves slowly. Water that enters there can stay in the building for a long time unless it is removed and the space is dried.
The difficulty is that a cellar or crawl space is closed in. Once the finished floor is laid and the walls are covered, the moisture underneath cannot be seen. That is why the readings in a below-grade space matter more than the appearance of the surfaces, and why they are taken before anything is closed up again.
Schenectady Water Damage Restoration sends a local crew to a damp cellar or crawl space in Schenectady County as fast as one is available, and phones are answered 24/7. The crew reads the concrete, the framing and the air, records the readings and tells you when the space has reached the dry standard, so the floor can be laid back on dry ground.
Do not enter a crawl space or a cellar with standing water until the power to it is off and the crew has checked the air and the footing. Do not run electrical equipment in standing water. Keep the furnace and gas lines in view while working, and call the gas utility if you smell gas. Wear a respirator and gloves if you must enter a space with mold-like growth, and call a licensed assessor before any mold work.
A cellar that took water from a leak above, a supply line or a flood needs the floor, the lower wall and the stored items read together. The water often runs toward the floor drain and collects at the lowest corner. The crew reads that corner first, then works outward, and it records each area it dries.
Water in a crawl space can sit against the joists and the sill plate for a long time, and it is harder to reach than a cellar. The crew uses pumps where the access allows and works from the entry point. The wood above the water is read carefully, because it can stay wet long after the water is gone.
A cellar wall that shows damp after heavy rain may be taking water through the foundation or the grade outside. The crew reads the wall and the floor at the wall line, records the readings over more than one visit, and tells the owner whether the moisture is still rising.
A finished cellar room with carpet, drywall and built-in storage can hold moisture behind the finish. The crew reads the wall and the floor before anything is closed up again, and it cuts only where the readings show it is needed.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent crawl space and cellar moisture, send the form and we'll call you back.
A cellar is dry when the readings in the floor, the framing and the walls reach the dry standard set at the start, and the air in the space is at a level the crew confirms. Surfaces that feel dry are not enough. The readings decide when the space can be closed.
Concrete and block hold moisture in their pores, and that moisture can reach the surface long after the water has gone. A wall that looks dry can still hold water in its core. The crew reads the concrete with a meter and compares the readings with the baseline it took at the start.
The framing above the cellar and the sill plate on the foundation are read as well. Wood that stays wet is a sign that drying is not finished, and closing the space up over it can trap moisture for a long time.
Moisture returns when water is still entering from the grade, the walls or the floor, or when the air in the space stays humid. Drying removes the water that is already there, but a source that continues must be found and addressed by the right trade.
Water can move through a foundation wall or a slab from the soil outside. The ground outside the house, the gutters, the downspouts and the grading all affect how much water reaches the wall. A crew finds the moisture inside and notes what it sees outside, and a contractor who works on the grade or the drainage is the right person to address the source.
Humid air in a closed space can also keep the readings high. A dehumidifier and ventilation help, and the crew sets them up to bring the air down to a level where the materials can dry.
The size of the space, how much standing water it held, the amount of framing and stored material affected and the access to the crawl space or cellar all shape the work. The price for each stage is explained and approved before it starts, and no figure is given on this page.
A small cellar with a damp floor and a dry wall is a short job. A crawl space with standing water and wet framing on several joists takes longer, because each joist needs a reading and the space is hard to work in. The number of stored items and the access to them change the time on site.
Repairs to the grade, the drainage or the foundation are separate jobs for other trades, and they are not part of the restoration stage. The crew names the sources it suspects and records the readings that support its view.
A household dehumidifier can help keep a damp cellar from getting worse once the standing water is gone. It does not replace the drying equipment a crew uses for a wet floor and framing. Place it on a dry surface, empty it often, and keep it away from wet areas and electrical outlets.
A household unit has a limited capacity and may not dry deep materials. Running it in a space with standing water, or with wet electrical connections nearby, is not safe. Keep the unit on a dry, raised base, and follow the manufacturer's instructions for placement and draining.
If the readings do not improve after a few days of running a unit, call the crew to take new readings. The crew can tell you whether a source is still active or whether the equipment needs to be larger.
Stored items that were in the water or in contact with wet floors are usually removed and sorted. Items that can be cleaned and dried are kept, and items that cannot are recorded for the insurer. The owner decides what to keep, with the crew's advice on what is safe to save.
Cardboard, paper, some upholstery and stored clothing hold water and can grow mold quickly. Those items are usually removed. Hard items such as tools and metal shelves can be cleaned and dried, and the crew can advise on each.
Keep a list of what you removed and what you kept. Photographs of the items before they are moved help the insurer see what was lost, and they help you decide what to claim.
The technician checks the access, the footing and the air before entering a crawl space or a cellar with standing water. Power to wet areas is kept off, and the crew checks for stagnant or poor air in confined spaces before people work in them.
Moisture meters are run across the floor, the foundation walls and the bottom of the framing. Readings are recorded on a map, and the wet line on the wall is marked. The map shows how far the water reached and where it is still getting in.
Standing water is pumped out and debris is cleared from the floor and the sump area. Silt or mud left by a flood is removed, and any stored material that held water is taken out and recorded.
Dehumidifiers and air movers are set to dry the air and the materials in the space. Ventilation is planned around the equipment. Framing that stayed wet is read again, and the drying continues until it reaches the dry standard.
The final readings are compared with the starting numbers, and the crew tells you whether the space is ready to be closed up. The record includes the readings and the photographs. Insulation, finish and the floor above are not put back until the readings meet the target.
A cellar sits below grade, and water that reaches the foundation from the soil or from a flood can work its way into the floor and the lower wall. The crew reads the perimeter of the cellar first, because the water often enters at the lowest and outermost edge.
The 2011 flood that reached the Stockade showed how quickly a below-grade room fills when the river rises, and how long the moisture can stay in the walls and floor after the water is out. A cellar that flooded then, or in any high-water event, is read as carefully as a cellar with a supply-line leak.
A cellar or crawl space is often shared with a furnace, a water heater, stored fuel or electrical equipment. The crew checks those before it starts drying, and it does not run equipment in a space with standing water near the furnace or the electrical panel.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Clearing river floodwater from a Schenectady home, then drying the structure before any repair.
Cleanup and drying when a sump pump stops or a backwater valve fails and a cellar floods.
Drying the moisture that causes mold, and checking the New York license before any mold work begins.
Finding slow leaks inside walls, under floors and in cellars with moisture meters before the damage spreads.
After river water reaches a Stockade house, the first steps are to keep people out of the water, cut power to wet rooms, photograph the high-water mark and call for a crew.
In the 2011 flood, aging canal dams could not be raised at several locks, and debris blocked locks and dams, according to a New York State Canal Corporation finding.
New York Labor Law Article 32 requires state licenses for mold assessors, mold remediators and abatement workers, with rules effective January 1, 2016, administered by the state Department of Labor.
Yes, once the water is pumped out and the power is safe. The crew works from the entry point and uses the right equipment for the access. The readings in the joists and sill plate decide when the space is dry enough to close.
Moisture can stay in concrete, block and framing for a long time, and it can keep coming from the soil. If the cellar is still damp after the drying was finished, a source may still be active. Call the crew to take new readings and to note any new source.
The choice of a vapor retarder is a decision for a building professional, and it depends on the space and its drainage. The restoration crew dries the space to the dry standard and records the readings, which is the step before any such decision.
Wet cardboard and paper are usually removed, because they hold water and can grow mold. Keep a list of what was removed, and photograph the items before they are moved. The crew can advise on the items that might be cleaned and dried.
Not necessarily, but the record is what makes a claim possible. Whether a cellar loss is covered depends on the cause and on the policy wording. Your insurer decides the claim, and this page does not state coverage limits or deadlines.
After the readings in the wall, floor and framing reach the dry standard, and the crew confirms it. Closing a wall too early can trap moisture behind the finish. The crew will tell you when the space is ready.